For Your Own Sake and The Sake of Those You Love

This originally posted on Facebook, however, things get lost in feeds. So, I thought it would find a good resting place here for others to stumble across.

My experience with depression was in my 20s after my dad passed away. By the grace of God, that dark and scary place was lifted by clinging to Jesus and through medication (in that order).

For many, depression is an isolated place. A place where people feel like they cannot reach out. A place where they feel like no one cares.

Here are some things I’d challenge everyone to do for your own sake and for the sake of those you love whether or not you know someone (or are someone) struggling:

1. Quit relying on text messages and social media as a primary means of communication in relationships. One-on-one interactions are important. Take the time to truly know your friends, so you can watch for changes in behavior. If you can’t spend quality time with those you love, you’re too busy.

2. Speaking of social media…quit getting into arguments about things that don’t matter. What matters? PEOPLE MATTER.

3. Do not leave it to the person struggling with hopelessness to reach out. This is like asking a drowning person to save themselves.

4. Learn to grieve well with your friends. You do not have to fix them, nor do you have to say anything. Just sit there and grieve with them no matter how uncomfortable it is for you, because it isn’t about you.

5. Quit giving up on people. Learn how to bear with one another no matter the season. And if someone hurts you…remember hurting people are the ones who hurt people.

6. Know the name of a good counselor. You never know when you or someone you know will need it.

7. See a doctor regularly, and encourage those you love to do so. There are physical symptoms of depression as well as mental ones.

8. Understand that we live in a broken world. Nothing is as it should be. We cling to gods in our lives like oxygen. Gods of money…fame…children…spouses…relationships…prestige….comfort…things. These will never satisfy. They will let you down.

How do you spot them? Ask yourself:

What is the one thing you are terrified to lose?

What is the one thing you NEED to make you happy?

Those are your gods.

9. Please…please…please do not mistake religion for faith. If you don’t know the difference, shoot me an email. I’d love to chat about it.

10. Hear me out on this one, please: If you don’t know Jesus, don’t dismiss Him as anything other than God and Savior.

I don’t care what color you are…
or if you are a democrat…
a raging liberal…
a conservative…
a republican.

I don’t care if you voted for Trump…
or Hillary….

I don’t care if you are homosexual…
or heterosexual.

I don’t care if you think blue lives matter…
or black lives matter…
BECAUSE ALL LIVES MATTER.

2018 has been the hardest of my life for many reasons. I am telling you right now without a shadow of a doubt…

If I did not know Jesus…
And if I did not know the character of God…
I would end up back into that pit of despair.

Choose him now, not only for your eternity…but so when the storm comes – and it will come – you can cling to him.